Scientists and surgeons from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland have developed a „virtual liver“. It aims at helping surgeons to better plan and carry out tumor operations and ensure quicker patient recovery. The PASSPORT project (Patient-Specific Simulation and Pre-Operative Realistic Training), in part funded by EU research budgets, makes a uniquely accurate „virtual liver“ available to physicians based on medical images sent by the radiologist to a PASSPORT online service, which helps surgeons decide whether they should or not operate. Surgeons can now see more precisely, EU sources explain, where a tumor is and where they will have to operate to safely remove it.
The technology developed in the PASSPORT project, which started in June 2008 and ended in December 2011, “is a breakthrough that will improve diagnosis and surgery, and help to save lives”, said European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes.
Liver diseases kill thousands of people every year. Transplants are only an option for a very small proportion of patients with liver disease; another option is to remove the infected part of the organ and allow the liver to regenerate. For this purpose, surgeons need to know the tumor’s precise location, the volume of the functional liver which would remain, and the patient's overall health in order to accurately assess the chance of a successful intervention. Under current practices, less than 50% of patients undergo surgery. PASSPORT's virtual liver could considerably increase this percentage, EU sources said.
The virtual software being used in the project is based on open source technology available online, making it easier for surgeons to collaborate and share their analysis.